Constructed by: Robyn Weintraub
Edited by: Will Shortz
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Today’s Theme None
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Bill’s time: 11m 58s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
6 “___ and Basie!” (1963 jazz album) : ELLA
“Ella and Basie!” is the 1963 album in which Ella Fitzgerald sings, with the Count Basie Orchestra accompanying. The album marked only the second time that Fitzgerald and the Basie band had recorded together, the previous occasion being the recording of “One O’Clock Jump” in 1957.
10 Calendar heading named for a Norse deity: Abbr. : THU
In Norse mythology, Thor was the son of Odin. Thor wielded a mighty hammer and was the god of thunder, lightning and storms. Our contemporary word “Thursday” comes from “Thor’s Day”.
14 Bucolic spots : LEAS
The word “bucolic”, meaning “rustic, rural”, comes to us from the Greek word “boukolos” meaning “cowherd”.
15 Artist colony in a desert : TAOS
The town of Taos, New Mexico is named for the Native American village nearby called Taos Pueblo. Taos is famous for its art colony. Artists began settling in Taos in 1899, and the Taos Society of Artists was founded in 1915.
18 Vegetable also called “ladies’ fingers” : OKRA
The plant known as okra is mainly grown for its edible green pods. The pods are said to resemble “ladies’ fingers”, which is an alternative name for the plant. Okra is known as “ngombo” in Bantu, a name that might give us the word “gumbo”, the name for the name of the southern Louisiana stew that includes okra as a key ingredient.
21 “Men in Black” antagonists : ETS
“Men in black” (MIB) are said to have appeared in the past whenever there have been reports of UFO sightings. Supposedly, these men are government agents whose job it is to suppress reports of alien landings. The conspiracy theorists got their day in the movies with the release of a pretty good sci-fi comedy in 1997 called “Men in Black”, starring Will Smith (as Agent J) and Tommy Lee Jones (as Agent K).
25 ___ Explorer : MSN
MSN Explorer is a special form of the Internet Explorer web browser that integrates MSN and Windows Live.
26 Something that may be packed : HEAT
“Packing” and “packing heat” are underworld slang for “carrying a gun”.
28 Heckerling who directed “Look Who’s Talking” and “Clueless” : AMY
Film director Amy Heckerling is from the Bronx in New York. She was at the helm for several notable films, including “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” and “Clueless”.
33 What might be found between X and Z? : GENERATION GAP
The term “Generation X” originated in the UK where it was the name of a book by Jane Deverson. Her book detailed the results of a study of British youths in 1964, contrasting their lifestyle to those of previous generations. It was Canadian author Douglas Coupland who was responsible for popularizing the term, with his more successful publication “Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture”. By one definition, Gen-Xers were born between 1961 and 1981.
Definitions vary, but it seems that the term “Generation Z” is reserved for the children of “Generation X”, and for the generation that follows the “Millennials” (Generation Y).
34 Small amphibian : EFT
Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.
35 Subj. for class cut-ups? : ANAT
Anatomy (anat.)
36 Direction of many a lavatory on a plane : AFT
Our word “lavatory” (sometimes “lav”) originally referred to a washbasin, and comes from the Latin “lavatorium”, a place for washing. In the 1600s, “lavatory” came to mean a washroom, and in the 1920s a toilet.
37 One-fourth of KISS : STUPID
Keep it simple, stupid (KISS)
39 Olympic skater Midori : ITO
Midori Ito is a Japanese figure skater. Ito was the first woman to land a triple/triple jump and a triple axel in competition. In fact, she landed her first triple jump in training when she was only 8 years old. Ito won Olympic silver in 1992, and was chosen as the person to light the Olympic cauldron at the commencement of the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
40 ___ Chang, Harry Potter’s first love interest : CHO
Cho Chang is a fellow student of Harry Potter, one year ahead of him at Hogwarts. Chang is the girl who gives Harry his first kiss!
43 1982 Disney film with a 2010 sequel : TRON
Released in 1982, Disney’s “Tron” was one of the first mainstream films to make extensive use of computer graphics. The main role in the movie is played by Jeff Bridges. The original spawned a 2010 sequel called “Tron: Legacy”, as well as a 2012 TV show called “Tron: Uprising”.
44 Kitty food? : POKER CHIP
The pot in a card game has been referred to as “the kitty” since the 1880s. It’s not certain how the name “kitty” evolved but possibly it comes from “kit”, the necessary equipment for the game.
49 Endor native : EWOK
The fictional forested moon of Endor features prominently in the “Star Wars” movie “Return of the Jedi”. The moon is home to the race of furry aliens known as Ewoks. Filming for the forest scenes actually took place in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Northern California.
50 Spirits of Greece : OUZO
Ouzo is an apéritif from Greece that is colorless and flavored with anise. Ouzo is similar to French pastis and Italian sambuca.
52 ___ Sarnoff, Warner Bros. C.E.O. beginning in 2019 : ANN
The WB Television Network was launched in 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and Tribune Broadcasting. The WB (for “Warner Bros.”) was shut down in 2006 and replaced by the CW (for “CBS” and “Warner Bros.”).
54 They’re full of opinions : OP-EDS
“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.
Down
3 Bends at the Bolshoi : PLIES
The French word for “bent” is “plié”. In the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent. A “demi-plié” is a similar move, but with less bending of the knees. A fondu is similar to a plié, except that only one leg remains on the ground.
The Bolshoi Ballet company is based in Moscow, Russia. The Bolshoi company has over 200 dancers, making it by far the biggest ballet company in the world. I have very fond memories of attending a performance in the beautiful Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia in the late nineties …
6 Actress Pompeo of “Grey’s Anatomy” : ELLEN
Actress Ellen Pompeo is perhaps best known for playing the title character in the TV medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy”. That gig has paid well. Pompeo was ranked third in the “Forbes” list of highest-paid TV actresses in 2017, with Sofia Vergara (from “Modern Family”) and Kaley Cuoco (from “The Big Bang Theory”) holding the first and second spots respectively.
7 Adornments sometimes made with kukui nuts : LEIS
“Lei” is a Hawaiian word meaning “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a lei is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.
9 Vapers don’t get it : ASH
An electronic cigarette (also called an “e-cigarette”) is a battery-powered device that resembles a real cigarette. The e-cigarette vaporizes a solution that contains nicotine, forming a vapor that resembles smoke. The vapor is inhaled in a process called “vaping”, delivering nicotine into the body. The assumption is that an e-cigarette is healthier than a regular cigarette as the inhaled vapor is less harmful than inhaled smoke. But, that may not be so …
10 Tries chai, say : TAKES A SIP
Chai is a drink made from spiced black tea, honey and milk, with “chai” being the Hindi word for “tea”. We often called tea “a cup of char” growing up in Ireland, with “char” being our slang word for tea, derived from “chai”.
11 Quartet in Revelation : HORSEMEN
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are introduced in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible. Each of the four represents woe for man, in the form of pestilence, war, famine and death. The four horsemen ride on a white, red, black and pale horse respectively.
12 Nation conspicuously missing from the Wilson-proposed League of Nations, in brief : USA
President Woodrow Wilson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919. He was so honored in recognition of his efforts to promote peace around the world, and in particular for the leading role he played in setting up the League of Nations after WWI (despite his failure to gain support for the organization from the US Congress).
24 Children’s author/illustrator Hoff : SYD
Syd Hoff wrote the children’s books “Danny and the Dinosaur” and “Sammy the Seal”. Hoff also drew two syndicated comic strips, “Tuffy” (1939-1949) and “Laugh It Off” (1958-1978).
25 Problem for a king : MATE
In the game of chess, when the king is under immediate threat of capture it is said to be “in check”. If the king cannot escape from check, then the game ends in “checkmate” and the player in check loses. In the original Sanskrit game of chess, the king could actually be captured. Then a rule was introduced requiring that a warning be given if capture was imminent (today we announce “check!”) so that an accidental and early ending to the game doesn’t occur.
26 Cry made while swinging a baton : HIT IT!
That would be a cry from a bandleader.
27 “Put a tiger in your tank” sloganeer : ESSO
“Put a Tiger in Your Tank” was an advertising slogan and theme used by Esso gasoline in the 1960s.
29 Roman army leader : CENTURION
A centurion was a professional officer in the Roman army who was in command of a “centuria”, a group of about one hundred men.
31 Card game in which jacks are the top four trumps : SKAT
When I was a teenager in Ireland, I had a friend with a German father. The father taught us the game of Skat, and what a great game it is. Skat originated in Germany in the 1800s and is to this day the most popular card game in the country. I haven’t played it in decades, but would love to play it again …
32 Got out of Dodge, say : LEFT TOWN
The phrase “get out of Dodge”, meaning “scram, flee”, is a reference to Dodge City, Kansas. The phrase became a cliché on TV westerns (mainly “Gunsmoke”, I think) and was then popularized by teenagers in the sixties and seventies.
33 Some kitchen appliances : GES
The General Electric Company is usually referred to simply as “GE”. One of the precursor companies to GE was Edison General Electric, founded in 1890 by the inventor Thomas Edison. What we know today as GE was formed two years later when Edison merged his company with Charles Coffin’s Thomson-Houston Electric Company. In 1896, GE was selected as one of the 12 companies listed on the newly formed Dow Jones Industrial Average. GE was the last of the original 12 to survive on that list, being replaced by Walgreens in 2018. I spent over ten years with GE at the beginning of my working career, and in fact it was GE that asked me to transfer to the US from Ireland back in the 1980s …
38 Tennessee governor who became president : POLK
James Knox Polk was the 11th US President. Polk is known as a president who delivered on promises that he made during his election campaign. He left office after serving only one term, as he had promised the voters, and then contracted cholera on a goodwill tour of the South. Polk died at only 53 years of age, the youngest age for any president to die in retirement. He also enjoyed the shortest retirement of any president, at only 103 days.
46 Take to another dimension? : CROP
One might crop a photograph, change its dimensions.
47 Lead-in to cow or lion : SEA …
Manatees, also known as “sea cows”, are very large marine mammals that can grow to 12 feet in length. The manatee is believed to have evolved from four-legged land mammals and probably shares a common ancestor with the elephant.
There are three families of seals. The first is the walrus family, the second the eared seals (like sea lions), and thirdly the earless seals (like elephant seals).
48 Uranus, e.g. : GOD
One of the unique features of the planet Uranus is that its north and south poles lie where most other planets have their equators. That means that Uranus’ axis of rotation is almost in its solar orbit.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Abundant : AMPLE
6 “___ and Basie!” (1963 jazz album) : ELLA
10 Calendar heading named for a Norse deity: Abbr. : THU
13 “Everything’s going to be fine” : RELAX
14 Bucolic spots : LEAS
15 Artist colony in a desert : TAOS
16 Digital color presentation? : NAIL POLISH
18 Vegetable also called “ladies’ fingers” : OKRA
19 Seriously : IN EARNEST
20 Colon or semicolon, in an emoticon : EYES
21 “Men in Black” antagonists : ETS
22 Long run? : EON
23 Bonny ones : LASSES
25 ___ Explorer : MSN
26 Something that may be packed : HEAT
28 Heckerling who directed “Look Who’s Talking” and “Clueless” : AMY
29 Courtroom conclusion : CASE DISMISSED
32 Comment after an amazing statement : LET THAT SINK IN
33 What might be found between X and Z? : GENERATION GAP
34 Small amphibian : EFT
35 Subj. for class cut-ups? : ANAT
36 Direction of many a lavatory on a plane : AFT
37 One-fourth of KISS : STUPID
39 Olympic skater Midori : ITO
40 ___ Chang, Harry Potter’s first love interest : CHO
43 1982 Disney film with a 2010 sequel : TRON
44 Kitty food? : POKER CHIP
47 It covers a lot of ground : SOIL
48 “Walk” : GO ON STRIKE
49 Endor native : EWOK
50 Spirits of Greece : OUZO
51 Like a tapestry : WOVEN
52 ___ Sarnoff, Warner Bros. C.E.O. beginning in 2019 : ANN
53 Participated in a pistol duel : DREW
54 They’re full of opinions : OP-EDS
Down
1 Helicopter traffic reporter on “The Simpsons” : ARNIE
2 Intended : MEANT
3 Bends at the Bolshoi : PLIES
4 [I forgot the words …] : LA LA …
5 Local alternative : EXPRESS TRAIN
6 Actress Pompeo of “Grey’s Anatomy” : ELLEN
7 Adornments sometimes made with kukui nuts : LEIS
8 Hold up : LAST
9 Vapers don’t get it : ASH
10 Tries chai, say : TAKES A SIP
11 Quartet in Revelation : HORSEMEN
12 Nation conspicuously missing from the Wilson-proposed League of Nations, in brief : USA
15 Santa’s sleighful : TOYS
17 How you might count to five : ON ONE HAND
20 Dining with one’s child? : EATING FOR TWO
23 Countertop or flooring materials : LAMINATES
24 Children’s author/illustrator Hoff : SYD
25 Problem for a king : MATE
26 Cry made while swinging a baton : HIT IT!
27 “Put a tiger in your tank” sloganeer : ESSO
29 Roman army leader : CENTURION
30 Cellphone plan concern : DATA
31 Card game in which jacks are the top four trumps : SKAT
32 Got out of Dodge, say : LEFT TOWN
33 Some kitchen appliances : GES
38 Tennessee governor who became president : POLK
39 “Say no more” : I KNOW
40 Herb often used in preparing potatoes and omelets : CHIVE
41 Upped : HIKED
42 Is on first : OPENS
44 Really come down : POUR
45 Move, maybe ominously : OOZE
46 Take to another dimension? : CROP
47 Lead-in to cow or lion : SEA …
48 Uranus, e.g. : GOD
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